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All too often i see members both old and new asking for help and i think its time someone posts a basic guide members should follow when asking the community for help.

If you can't list them all that's fine, but please try your best if you want an accurate or possible answer to your question. Most questions should only be answered with the following information available to members. Even if only a small percentage follow this it would inevitably improve the site.

I constantly see threads that go unnoticed , avoided, and even answered with incorrect or incomplete advice because the original post is missing crucial information.

The following is what i believe should be present in every post when a person is asking for advice.

A photo of your tank

Posting a photo is one of the most valuable things you can supply us with, it allows members to actually see what's going on. Many pieces of information can be gathered from a single photo of your tank. So many questions can be avoided once visually seeing the aquarium. If you are having issues posting a photo, please ask someone for help.

Tell us your personal aquarium experience

This will help members get an idea of your basic aquarium understanding. If you're new, that's fine! Just let us know you're new so we can structure our answers accordingly.

List your tank size (water volume, dimensions, and age)

All are extremely important when assessing a situation. IE: This is crucial for giving advice with dosing, lighting, and much more.

List the current chemicals, media, treatments, or anything that you are currently adding to your reef and the amount.

For example: Carbon, GFO, Vodka, Vinegar, slime remover, ETC
List the amount, the last time they have been used,changed, and if any of the issues came about soon after.

Tell us where you are getting your water from?

Let us know if its RODI, DI, Tap, Tap water filter, or even if its from your local fish store. Also if possible, list when your filters have been changed

Tell us your tank Maintenance

Water change volume, Frequency, and other maintenance

List your current livestock

List your fish,inverts, coral etc.

List your current Salt Mix

Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals, etc. Let us know if you have made any changes recently. Make sure your salt is properly mixed at the right temperature. Let us know if you have ever tested a fresh batch of saltwater for accuracy and post your results.

Start by listing your last known, current, and even your desirable levels. We can't begin to answer questions or give guidance without this information. Writing that levels are in line means nothing to anyone that is going to give you any type of good advice. You should be listing your results entirely for someone to help with your tank.

TemperatureInclude how it is measured ie: thermometer or controller. List any known swings.

PHInclude how it is measured IE: time, test kit, or probe. (Let us know if you probe has been properly calibrated and when)

SalinityTell us how you are measuring your salinity. IE: Refractometer , hydrometer, taste test. Let us know if calibrated and when. Understand that different salinity levels will give different outcomes when testing your tanks ALK,CAL,& MAG.

PhosphateList the test kit brand - Please note, Many of the lower end test kits are not even suitable for testing phosphate as they cannot register low levels.

AmmoniaNitrateNitrate

Alkalinity Calcium MagnesiumList test kit brand used. Let us know if you have completed more then one test and if these results have been tested with a second kit. Let us know about any changes you see

Then of course write clear and legible when you actually write your question

This is excellent Jonny, thanks for taking the time to put this together. I want to reiterate, that you don't necessarily need ALL this info, but the more you can provide, the easier it is for people to help you.